Bookmark



March 21, 1944. I 'H L I 2,344,613

BOOKMARK Filed July 31, 1941 INVENTOR. LUCIUS A.HELLSTER'N Patented Mar. 21, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE BOOKMARK Lucius A. Hellstern, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Aloysius U. Hellstern, Cleveland, Ohio Application July 31, 1941, Serial No. 404,887

2 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved placemarker or bookmark for books, magazines, pamphlets, and the like,

It is an object of this invention to provide a device for marking a specific page and paragraph of a book or the like and which is held securely in the position in which inserted by the cooperation of the device and pages or binding of the book and accomplishes its purpose without injuring the pages or binding. I

Another object of the present invention is to provide a bookmark which can mark a plurality of pages of a book or the like concurrently.

Another object is to provide a place-marker or bookmark having the above mentioned char acteristics which is provided with an enlarged holding portion, a relatively narrower intermediate portion and a converging marking portion.

Other objects are to provide a device of this character which is constructed from a soft flexible material; which is provided with an enlarged holding portion which has a roughened surface for frictionally engaging the pages of the book to securely hold the device in proper predetermined position in the book; which is of such length that when the holding portion is inserted into a book or the like, an integral marking por tion of the device can be disposed between the pages of the book,at least several pages removed from the pages between which the said holding portion is held, by flexure of the intermediate portions of the device.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device of this nature which is provided with a tongue or supplemental marking portion formed from the lateral mid-portion of the holding portion and integrally connected to the intermediate portion at a location beyond the juncture of the said intermediate portion and the holding portion in order to materially increase the flexure of the strip of material from which the device is formed at the said juncture of the intermediate portion and holding portion so that ibOth faces of a page or group of pages, can be frictionally engaged by the holding portion and tongue more effectively,

Another object is to provide means on a book or place marking device to accommodate and hold a pencil or other writing implement while the device is in marking position.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following specification wherein reference is made to the drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view in perspective of the book or place marking device;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken through the pages and cover of a book and taken through the longitudinal center line of the book marker to illustrate One manner in which the device is associated therewith;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the device in which several pages of the book are gripped between the holding portion and the tongue of the device. The view also illustrates the manner in which a writing implement is secured to the device; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional View similar to Fig. 2, illustrating the device marking a plurality of pages of the book.

Referring to the drawings, the bookmarking device, generally indicated at I, is formed from a strip of soft, flexible material, preferably rubber of about /s4 to {a of an inch in thickness.

It has been found that the material of the ordinary inner tube of an automobile tire is desirable for this purpose, both as to flexibility and thickness. soft flexible leather or fabric may 'be used but do not have all the advantages of rubber.

The place or bookmarking device I has an enlarged portion 2 and a pointed marking portion 3 which are integrally connected together by an intermediate portion 4. It will be noted that the width of the intermediate portion 4 is so materially less than the width of the holding portion 2 that shoulders 5 are formed at the juncture.

If the material, from which the device is formed, is smooth, the holding portion should be roughened on either one or both faces, as by scoring at 6 or other roughening methods, to an efiective friction gripping surface.

In the use of the device for marking a single page and paragraph of a book or the like, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the holding portion 2 is placed between the cover 8 and the pages 9 of the book and is firmly gripped therebetween, and shifting of the device is prevented due to the roughened or scored surface 6 of the holding portion. The device is then flexed upwardly so the marking portion 3 may overlie the exact portion of the page which is desired to be place marked and then finally the book closed to hold the marking portion in place.

Upon opening of the book, or the like, the device is first gripped at the intermediate portion 4 and then the volume opened without shifting of the device and the exact place marked will be brought to the attention of the person using the device.

It will be noted, that while for purposes of ii- Other materials, however, such as provide ly convexed slits I l which intersect near one endof the portion 2. Extending from the laterally outermost portions of the slits ll are inwardly converging slits l2 which converge from the slits I I, beginning in a location in theholding portion 2, to a location in the intermediate portion 4', thus ent, however, that instead of placing the holding portion 2 between the fly leaf and cover of the volume, it may be placed between pages of the volume and thus place mark the volume in three separate locations. Likewise, in order to increase the holding pressure on the holding portion 2, the tongue Ill and remainder of the portion 2 may be placed on opposite faces of a page, or group of pages. Since the slits I2 extend beyond the shoulders 5 in a direction toward the marking portion 3, the pages can be inserted between the portions and 2 until the edges of the pages lie substantially at the shoulders l4 and the flex- "ibilityi of the device about the juncture of the portions 2 and 4 remains of the desirable degree requiring fiexure of only one thickness of a very limited width of the material.

providing the tongue IE3 which is integral with the intermediate portion 4 and joined thereto at a.

location beyond the juncture M of the intermediate portion and'the enlarged holding portion 2 in a direction away from the holding portion of the device. Thus flexure of the material of the device at the juncture i l of the intermediate pertion 4 and the holding portion 2 is materially increased. The device, use, is caused to flex about the juncture M to place the marking portion 3 upon the proper predetermined place of the page while the holding portion 2 is securely fixed in another portion of the volume several pages removed from the portion of the volume accommodating the marking portion 3.

Within the intermediate portion 6, beyond the juncture I4 in a direction longitudinally of the strip and away from the holding portion 2, are a pair of openings l6 and lTwhich are aligned with each other transversely of the intermediate portion t and which define a central gripping portion 18 and end gripping portions it? to accommodate a pencil or other writing implement.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4', it will be noted that the pencil 20 is interlaced with the intermediate portion 4 of the device by insertion of the pencil 20 in the. openings I6 and I1, whereby the central portion [8 yields and resiliently engages one side of the pencil while the end portions l9 correspondingly engage the other side to securely hold it in place within the book marking device.

Many times it is desirable to place the mark in more than one page of a volume and if this be the case; the holding portion 2 of the device may be placed between the fiy leaf and cover of the volume, as in Fig. 3, and the tongue portion l0 inserted between pages to be marked beyond the holding portion, and the marking portion 3 placed between pages beyond the pages marked :by the tongue I0, thus place marking simultaneously two portions of the volume. It is appalz ing portion and said marking portion, pai ed openings in said intermediateportion lengt of the strip and being spaced apart from each other transversely of the intermediate portion and aligned transversely of the intermediate portion with each other, wher'ebya writing instru mentmay be interlaced with the intermediate portion crosswise of the strip through the said openings and be firmly secured to the said book mark.

2. A. bookmarking devicefor insertionin ready removal from between pages of a. book and. comprising a strip of flexible elastic material ca? pable' of continued flexure at a single point with out partial'fracture having a holding portion at one end and. a marking portion at the other at, an intermediate portion between the holding p tion and the marking portion, said holding pc :21 being materially wider. than the intermediate por tion at its juncture with the intermediate pertion, a tongue formed from the transverse midportion of the holding .portionand being iutegrallyconnected to the said intermediate portion ata location beyond the juncture of the intermediate portion and the holding portion in a direction awayfrom theholding pcrtion, aligned instrument receiving openings in saidintermediate portion and being spaced from each other transversely of the intermediate portion and spaced longitudinally of the strip. beyond: the juncture of the saidtongue andintermediate portion in adirection. toward the said marking portion.

LUCIUS .A. HELLS'IERN, 

